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rownawldo
𝕯𝖝𝕯 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖜
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First guide so here we go.
Starting off, I know a LOT of ppl are on this site that are still in high school and if you aren’t a trust fund child then school is probably the most secure way to ALMOST ensure a job. Obviously side hustles exist for highschoolers which I would recommend for anyone that might go to college or is just saving money.
Part 1 GPA
The number 1 thing that colleges look at is your unweighted gpa. This is calculated on a 0-4 scale (4 being the highest). Always check your schools own gpa calculations and charts because an 89.5% in a class could count as a 4.0 while some other schools could count it as a 3.7. How this is calculated is by taking the gpa for each class, factoring in how many credits the class is, and then averaging all the numbers. If you don’t have a 3.7+, you should probably steer clear of top 20 colleges. Anything above 3.4 or so is generally good for any student looking to get into a mid university. Even if you have a lower gpa like a 2.5 or something, it’s not over as you can still probably get into small local schools with it.
Part 2 Course Rigor and Weighted GPA
One of the biggest things that colleges also look for is your course rigor. If you think that they would treat a 4.0 student with regular courses and many “useless” classes like photography etc the same as a kid that is in 3+ AP or IB level courses in one year with a 3.7 GPA you would be dead wrong. Course rigor is what makes your gpa stand out. And also one other term you might hear get thrown around is weighted gpa. In many schools this is 0-5 and graded the same as regular gpa, but you can get a 5 for an a in an AP or IB level course. These are usually different school to school so colleges don’t look at them much.
Part 2.1 Classes
I’ll be breaking down a guide on which classes are best for you depending on which classes you are currently in. This will hopefully make you stand out more to colleges. (For American students)
English
If you are in an honors English class currently in 9th or 10th grade with an A, try to continue on that path so that you can take AP lang and AP literature. (These are really hard classes for most)
Math - assuming you’re on the normal curriculum, algebra 1 or geometry is where you should start at in 9th grade. Try to do as well as possible in either class because you want to secure your spots into the good math classes. This is the class I would say that matters most, so try your hardest on this class. If you are taking algebra 1 right now, try to test out of geometry as it is filler and self study the material. This will be challenging, but will give you a significant boost for college admissions as a lot of currycels I know are in precalculus honors or even an AP calc class in sophomore year. Your goal if you are in a regular math class should be to step it up and get into an honors math class and if you are in honors, you want to take AP calculus AB or BC by the end of your high school career. AP statistics is another class that you can take, but most ppl take it alongside Precalc so caution there.
Science
Just try to get into regular or honors science classes tbh. I would only do AP chemistry or AP bio if you already have a good math foundation (at least at Precalc when you take the class). From my experience, Ap comp sci principles and Ap comp sci A are two easier classes you can take if you want college credits and rigor. As for physics, you should be trying to take the hardest physics classes possible if you are going into engineering because any AP physics class is almost required for engineering school. These are extremely hard and I would only take physics C if you have completed a calculus level course.
History
Imo no point in taking APUSH or AP Euro or Ap world if you are struggling with your gpa. They are rigorous classes and require tons of reading a textbook. You should take them if you are having an easy time with history and/or like history though.
As for any other classes, do what you want and remember the best schedule is a balanced one. Don’t put too many hard classes in your schedule cause you might throw your gpa.
2.2 AP TESTS
The biggest part of AP classes are the AP test. These are managed by collegeboard just like the SAT and are graded 1-5 with 5 being the highest. Assuming that you get a 4-5 on the final test, you will get college credits for that course and these are very important for admissions. Remember that these are around 3-4 hours each and are really difficult so study on ap classroom and review weeks before your tests.
I will be adding 10x more to this guide as I haven’t covered SAT ACT or extracurriculars at all.
Remember to also enjoy your highschool years.
Starting off, I know a LOT of ppl are on this site that are still in high school and if you aren’t a trust fund child then school is probably the most secure way to ALMOST ensure a job. Obviously side hustles exist for highschoolers which I would recommend for anyone that might go to college or is just saving money.
Part 1 GPA
The number 1 thing that colleges look at is your unweighted gpa. This is calculated on a 0-4 scale (4 being the highest). Always check your schools own gpa calculations and charts because an 89.5% in a class could count as a 4.0 while some other schools could count it as a 3.7. How this is calculated is by taking the gpa for each class, factoring in how many credits the class is, and then averaging all the numbers. If you don’t have a 3.7+, you should probably steer clear of top 20 colleges. Anything above 3.4 or so is generally good for any student looking to get into a mid university. Even if you have a lower gpa like a 2.5 or something, it’s not over as you can still probably get into small local schools with it.
Part 2 Course Rigor and Weighted GPA
One of the biggest things that colleges also look for is your course rigor. If you think that they would treat a 4.0 student with regular courses and many “useless” classes like photography etc the same as a kid that is in 3+ AP or IB level courses in one year with a 3.7 GPA you would be dead wrong. Course rigor is what makes your gpa stand out. And also one other term you might hear get thrown around is weighted gpa. In many schools this is 0-5 and graded the same as regular gpa, but you can get a 5 for an a in an AP or IB level course. These are usually different school to school so colleges don’t look at them much.
Part 2.1 Classes
I’ll be breaking down a guide on which classes are best for you depending on which classes you are currently in. This will hopefully make you stand out more to colleges. (For American students)
English
If you are in an honors English class currently in 9th or 10th grade with an A, try to continue on that path so that you can take AP lang and AP literature. (These are really hard classes for most)
Math - assuming you’re on the normal curriculum, algebra 1 or geometry is where you should start at in 9th grade. Try to do as well as possible in either class because you want to secure your spots into the good math classes. This is the class I would say that matters most, so try your hardest on this class. If you are taking algebra 1 right now, try to test out of geometry as it is filler and self study the material. This will be challenging, but will give you a significant boost for college admissions as a lot of currycels I know are in precalculus honors or even an AP calc class in sophomore year. Your goal if you are in a regular math class should be to step it up and get into an honors math class and if you are in honors, you want to take AP calculus AB or BC by the end of your high school career. AP statistics is another class that you can take, but most ppl take it alongside Precalc so caution there.
Science
Just try to get into regular or honors science classes tbh. I would only do AP chemistry or AP bio if you already have a good math foundation (at least at Precalc when you take the class). From my experience, Ap comp sci principles and Ap comp sci A are two easier classes you can take if you want college credits and rigor. As for physics, you should be trying to take the hardest physics classes possible if you are going into engineering because any AP physics class is almost required for engineering school. These are extremely hard and I would only take physics C if you have completed a calculus level course.
History
Imo no point in taking APUSH or AP Euro or Ap world if you are struggling with your gpa. They are rigorous classes and require tons of reading a textbook. You should take them if you are having an easy time with history and/or like history though.
As for any other classes, do what you want and remember the best schedule is a balanced one. Don’t put too many hard classes in your schedule cause you might throw your gpa.
2.2 AP TESTS
The biggest part of AP classes are the AP test. These are managed by collegeboard just like the SAT and are graded 1-5 with 5 being the highest. Assuming that you get a 4-5 on the final test, you will get college credits for that course and these are very important for admissions. Remember that these are around 3-4 hours each and are really difficult so study on ap classroom and review weeks before your tests.
I will be adding 10x more to this guide as I haven’t covered SAT ACT or extracurriculars at all.
Remember to also enjoy your highschool years.
